Computing devices such as laptop computers, personal computers, and mobile devices can be protected from unauthorized access using a wide variety of user authentication mechanisms. Some examples of user authentication mechanisms include a username and password, Personal Identification Number (PIN), and a digital fingerprint. Computing devices can utilize different security policies corresponding to different situations in which the computing device operates. A geographic location of a computing device can be utilized to determine an appropriate security policy for the computing device. Responsive to different situations implemented on a computing device, the security policies can define different levels of user authentication mechanisms and procedures. Computing devices operate in many different environments of varying levels of security. In these operating environments, computing devices can communicate with other devices through communication networks and protocols such as Bluetooth® and WiFi® to share information.